Holy Celtic Church International

(HCCI)

Ireland

Click here to edit subtitle

About Us

So what is Celtic Christianity?

It is easier to say perhaps what it is not.

It is not proto-Protestantism as some neo-Celtic communities
would have us believe; neither is it Roman Catholicism as we now know
it, for in the days of the great Celtic saints the Bishop of Rome
was merely primus inter pares and Patriarch of the West and was not
considered infallible.

Neither
can Celtic Christianity be equated with Eastern Orthodoxy on the model
of Constantinople or even Alexandria, for despite its
slight variations in usage, it is certainly a product of the Western
Church, as St Patrick himself said, “The Church of the Irish, which is
indeed that of the Romans, if you would be Christians, then be as the
Romans. ...” (Dicta 3). True Celtic Christianity is best described then
as Catholic, Apostolic and Orthodox, for it preserves the Apostolic
Succession, honours and accepts the teachings of the Ecumenical Councila and reached its fully developed

form in the first millenenium,
prior to the separation of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Whilst
some forms of Celtic spirituality are very Hiberno-centric the Holy
Celtic Church casts the net of Celtdom far and wide, not only
throughout the ancestral Celtic lands but we also honour the Old
English saints and heritage.

Just
as Christianity as a whole is a synthesis of early Judaism and
the mystery religions and philosophies of the ancient near east, so
Celtic spirituality, is a synthesis of standard orthodox Catholic
doctrine and liturgical practice; the spirituality of the desert
fathers of Egypt and the native creation-based spiritual traditions of
north western Europe. It is this blend of orthodoxy, orthopraxis,
monastic and creation-based spiritualities which account for its
longevity and renewed appeal.

As St Augustine of Hippo said “That which is called the Christian
Religion existed among the Ancients, and never did not exist, from the
beginning of the human race until Christ came in the flesh, at which
time true religion, which already existed, began to be called Christianity”,
thus St Columba, himself coming from a noble family steeped in the
Druidic tradition, could exclaim with conviction, “Christ is my
Druid”. In
the middle ages the old forms of Celtic monasticism gave way to
the norm in the western church, as communities converted to
the Augustinian or Benedictine rules, yet the old Celtic knowledge of
the “book of nature” lived on, as St Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, “What I
know of the divine science and holy scripture, I learnt in the woods
and fields.”

Some Features of Christian Spirituality

Love of nature and a passion for the wild and elemental as a reminder of God's gift.

Love and respect for art and poetry.

Love and respect for the great stories and higher learning.

Sense of God and the saints as a continuing, personal, helpful presence.

Theologically
orthodox, with particular emphasis on the Trinity, and a love and
respect for Our Lady St Mary, the Incarnation of Christ, and the Divine
Liturgy.

Thin boundaries between the sacred and the secular.

Unique
Church structure: there were originally no towns, just nomadic
settlements, hence the church was more monastic rather than diocesan,
resulting in quite independent rules and liturgies.

Ireland was very isolated; it was hard to impose outside central Roman authority.

Influenced much by middle-eastern and Coptic monasticism.

Monasteries
were often large theocratic villages often associated with a clan with
the same kinship ties, along with slaves, freemen, celibate monks and
nuns, married clergy and lay people living side by side.

While some monasteries were in isolated places, many more were at the crossroads of provincial territories.

Women had more equal footing in ancient Irish law, thus Abbesses and other nuns often had a say in church administration.

Developed the idea of having a "soul friend" (anamchara) to help in spiritual direction.

Invented personal confession.

Oral word-based culture; most of the people were illiterate but had great memorization skills. They loved to hear great stories.

A sense of closeness and immanence between the natural and supernatural.

A mandate for hospitality.

Emphasis on family and kinship ties.

Statement of Faith &SacramentalPolicies

PREFACE

Every
religious community must have established rules and ways of doing things
to ensure the good order and function of the community and its members.

Interested in the Celtic way? Contact us

Data Protection &Access To Information

Under
the Data Protection Act 1988 (as amended 2003), and under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is in force as of the 25th May 2018, we are fully compliant
with the necessary legislation and requirements of this Act as outlined
in 'A Guide for Data Controllers'.

If
any person(s) wishes to assure themselves of their rights in relation
to the maintenance of such, then the information contained in 'A Guide To Your Rights' may prove to be of great assistance.